LCD screen in a Color Classic

[mraroid]

Hi...
 
I saw this over priced Color Classic for sale on ebay:
 
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ultimate-1993-Apple-Macintosh-Mac-Color-Classic-Takky-MOD-10-4-LCD-WiFi/292829226843?hash=item442dfb675b:g:9oIAAOSwuQhb9yKO:rk:2f:0
 
The clever seller had installed a 10.4 inch Matsushita LCD screen.  I found the screen for sale for under $100:
 
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/LTD104EA5R-Original-10-4-inch-LCD-screen-display-panel-1024-768-XGA/1741318949.html
 
It will do 1024 X 768.  After I started looking around, I found many more 10.4 inch screens of various costs.
 
I do love the crisp, clear Sony CRT in my Color Classic.  I have a LC 575 logic board in my CC, and made the mod to do 640 X 480. 
 
I now have enough parts to make a second CC.  I was thinking about a mod that would use a LCD screen.  The ebay seller claims that the screen will give you a 38% larger viewing area (see the pictures on his ebay listing).  I would like a mod that would let me run up to 9.22. 
 
Has anyone here used a LCD screen like this in a Color Classic?  What did you use for a motherboard?
 
mraroid 

 

[LaPorta]

As an aside, I don’t care if that guy installed a jet engine in there, he must be smoking crack if he thinks he can get $2,300 for that.

 

[mraroid]

As an aside, I don’t care if that guy installed a jet engine in there, he must be smoking crack if he thinks he can get $2,300 for that.

So true LaPorta.....

 

[Daniël]

What an ugly, ugly mod. The Trinitrons in these systems are great, no need to ruin that with crappy LCDs. I don't think any modern tech, high quality panels are made in 4:3 anymore anyways.

 

[ArmorAlley]

 I have mixed opinions about this "Color Classic". For me, the heart of a Mac, that which makes it a particular Mac, is the motherboard. Replace it with another motherboard and you have, at heart, another Mac.

To be sure, the case and, especially in this case, the monitor are a part of what make it a Colour Classic. It looks good, it is practical but it is neither fish nor flesh. But then, I also am happy to use CF cards to boot my PM G3 MT and I am happy to use accelerators to make the Mac much faster. Hmmmm.

 This fellow (gal?) has put a lot of work into renovating old Macs. I do like what he has done with his other Macs but he is not aiming at us. I don't really know whom his target sellers are. Investors want something as mint as possible. Those who used them in years gone by probably already have one by now and, while these people could afford one of his macs, I'm not sure as to whether you'd spend a couple of thousand on upgraded nostalgia.

 Is the seller a member of these forums? The WiFi-ethernet leads me to suspect that he/she may be.

 

[mraroid]

 Is the seller a member of these forums? The WiFi-ethernet leads me to suspect that he/she may be.

Come out, come out, who ever you are....  Tell us about your mod.

mraroid

 

[PB145B]

What bothers me the most is the fact that the screen opening was enlarged. That just completely throws the look of it off. Doesn’t even look like a CC at first glance to me. 

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

I don't like the looks of the CC AT ALL,

but this thing is an abomination, not your run of the mill, mildly fugly CC.

 

[PB145B]

For me, the CC was kind of an “acquired taste” (or “acquired look” I guess). I didn’t initially like the look when I first saw one, but it grew and grew on me to the point where I love it. Really would like to get one someday (with original CRT!).

 

[EvieSigma]

I'd like to mod my CC for 640x480 but I'll pass on this particular mod...

 

[werdna]

My main issue with the look of this mod is that the bevel is too small. If they had gotten a monitor with the original screen size, it would probably look just fine.

Is there a similar LCD monitor anyone here would recommend that would fit optimally within the bounds of a regular 9" compact mac? I've got a nice new Macintosh Plus case that I intend to use for this purpose...

 

[Byrd]

Precious Mac hardware tampering aside, I reckon it looks quite good, and knowing the CC case it can crack around the inside bezel, so who knows perhaps it was destined for the upgrade?

 

[mraroid]

I'd like to mod my CC for 640x480 but I'll pass on this particular mod...

itsvince725....

I did that mod.  Folks kept telling me that the text would be too small.  But it was not an issue for me.  The screen looked as perfect as it could be. So clear and chrisp....

mraroid

 

[mraroid]

Is there a similar LCD monitor anyone here would recommend that would fit optimally within the bounds of a regular 9" compact mac?

I have seen 9 inch LCD monitors used in cars.  The ones on ebay have controls connectd to them, but you might be able to find a moitor only...  Here is an example:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/9-TFT-LCD-2-CH-Video-Input-DVD-VCR-Car-Rear-View-Headrest-Monitor-800x480-HD-/283203218500?_trksid=p2349526.m4383.l4275.c10#viTabs_0

mraroid

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Sorry I called your mod an abomination. The panel you linked is 800x480, a wider aspect ratio than required for a Classic Mac. Gotta stick close to a 4:3 aspect ratio like 640c480, 800x600 or 1024x768 as you did for it to work. 9" diagonal at 800x480/16:9 may be almost as wide as the front bezel.

 

[nglevin]

Remind me never to share with y'all what the backside of my Quadra 700 case looks like.

What does that, to borrow a modern Apple-ism, "all screen" Color Classic look like when it's turned on? The higher res should really help some latter day 68k software run nicely on it.

EDIT: It would help if I looked at the eBay listing. Ok, it's kind of like a 603e PowerBook, but with white bezels. Maybe not wholly surprising.

 

[Franklinstein]

Has anyone here used a LCD screen like this in a Color Classic?  What did you use for a motherboard?

Here in Japan, the cool kids are taking the CC (and sometimes other compacts) and replacing the guts with modern hardware. At an average of about $500, these don't cost half as much as this guy's thing, though. The cheapest of these basically just glue iPads to the display opening, but there are some decent ones that fit a hi-res LCD in with a Mac Mini (attached). It doesn't look too terrible but it's still not my cup o' tea.

If you want to keep the CRT and do a Takky mod, the best logic board you'll get is from a 55/6500. They're stock 225 ~ 300MHz 603ev chips, upgradeable with a L2-style G3 card. Even without the G3 upgrade they're decent and will do up to Mac OS 9.2, but OS X capability is questionable at best (and would be kind of crap anyway with their 128MB RAM ceiling and 2MB VRAM video system).

Remind me never to share with y'all what the backside of my Quadra 700 case looks like.

It seems a number of people have dropped a 7100 board into their Quadra 700/IIci/IIcx chassis after carving up the I/O panel to fit it; is that what you've done? One of these has been sitting for ages on a shelf in a recycle shop here. I have no interest in it and it's well overpriced so it will probably continue to sit for the forseeable future.

 

[nglevin]

Nah, "merely" put a Quadra 800 logic board in there and took a kitchen knife to carve out an opening for the third slot. It was a long time ago and before I knew better.

The ports match so, only the region where a rudimentary third slot now stands shows the abuse.

 

[Franklinstein]

I saw this over priced Color Classic for sale on ebay:

You want overpriced? FEAST YOUR EYES: This guy wants $7500 for a 250MHz Takky. I've seen this auction before and am not sure if it's the same machine being pushed or if one or more have been sold. Either way it's bananas. I have one with similar specs (250MHz, 128MB, 120GB ATA HD) that I'd sell for less than half that if anybody wanted it. Plus, unlike the one listed in that "exclusive premium auction" the floppy drive is guaranteed to work in mine.